Charles Anthony Boyd was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. During his early years, he got into serious trouble with the law. He was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault and burglary. However, he was granted early release in November 1985 after serving less than half of his sentence. After his release, he found a job working as a janitor at a local bank.

From July to September 1986, Boyd lived with his brother in his brother's apartment. This period was marked by continued struggles as he tried to reintegrate into society and rebuild his life.

Charles Anthony Boyd committed his first murder on July 22, 1986. The victim was 37-year-old Tippawan Nakusan, a Thai immigrant living in the apartment above him. She was found stabbed and suffocated in her bathtub. Later that year, on September 15, 1986, 22-year-old Lashun Chappell was discovered dead in her apartment bathroom, also fatally stabbed.

On April 13, 1987, 20-year-old Linda Williams returned home to find her roommate, 21-year-old Mary Milligan, dead. Milligan had been raped, strangled, and drowned, her body stuffed in a bathtub. The media began calling these crimes "The Bathroom Slayings."

Boyd was arrested the next day when he tried to pawn Milligan's belongings. Forensic tests linked him to her murder, and he confessed to the other two murders as well. Boyd was charged with three counts of capital murder, but prosecutors focused on Milligan's case due to strong forensic evidence.

In October 1987, Boyd's trial began. His lawyers argued he was mentally retarded, with conflicting IQ reports of 67 and 80. Despite this defense, the jury found him guilty in just ten minutes, and he was sentenced to death a month later.

On August 5, 1999, Boyd was executed by lethal injection. He declined to make a final statement but claimed innocence as the drugs took effect. He was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m., just days before his 40th birthday.